Man dies in house fire; death may be suspicious

Marion County Fire Rescue firefighters congregate after they put out a bedroom fire in a mobile home on Northeast 177th Place in Citra, Wednesday. One person died in the blaze.

Alan Youngblood/Star-Banner

By Austin L. MillerStaff writer

Published: Wednesday, July 16, 2014 at 9:32 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, July 16, 2014 at 9:32 p.m.

CITRA — A man died Wednesday after sustaining injuries in a house fire, and investigators were looking at the fire and death as possibly suspicious.

Late Wednesday night, Marion County Sheriff’s Office detectives said they believe the vehicle of the man killed in the fire may be in the possession of a man and woman identified as Dillon Gresham, 23, and Crystal Faith Long, 22. Officials think the two, whose relationship to each other is unknown, are together.

The stolen vehicle is described as a silver 1999 four-door Oldmobile with Florida plate 535XQS, and VIN No. 1G3NB52M3X6305433. The vehicle’s rear reflector is missing, officials said.

If found, the vehicle is considered a potential crime scene, officials said.

Jessica Greene, spokeswoman for Marion County Fire Rescue, said firefighters pulled the victim from the fire in a double-wide mobile home at 1823 NE 177th Place in Citra late Wednesday afternoon.

The man, who’s believed to be in his 50s, was taken to Ocala Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Crime scene investigators from the Sheriff’s Office were dusting for fingerprints on the door knob of a shed near the home, and they had entered the shed and were looking around late Wednesday evening.

At 3:15 p.m., Marion County Public Safety Communications Center dispatchers received a call reporting a lot of smoke coming from the home. The first of eight MCFR units arrived on scene six minutes later.

Two teams of firefighters entered the home to search for possible victims. The victim was found unresponsive and removed from the residence. Crew members began assessment and treatment.

Firefighters were able to put out the fire at the home, which was about 25 to 30 percent involved when they got to the scene at 3:49 p.m.

Firefighters focused their attention on a back bedroom and the kitchen area of the home, officials said.

The mobile home had an off-white exterior color with brown roof.

One person who didn’t want to be identified but lived at the residence told a Star-Banner reporter that six people lived in the home, which had five bedrooms and two bathrooms. Of the six people, five of them were men. The man said the lone woman who lived at the home was the girlfriend of one of the men.

A for-sale sign on the property listed the home as a 1.5-acre property with 10 rooms.

Authorities said only one person was inside the home at the time of the fire.

Nearby neighbors told the Star-Banner they did not know anyone who lived there, and the man who owns the home apparently kept to himself.

Neighbor Laura Schee told the Star-Banner reporter that she was sitting in her recliner when she saw a puff of smoke. She said she was playing with her iPad when she noticed flames coming from the back side of the residence.

Schee said she told her husband what she saw and they called 911.

The investigation started out under the jurisdiction of the State Fire Marshal’s Office, but it has become a joint investigation involving the Sheriff’s Office.

David Young, a detective and K-9 handler of the State Fire Marshal’s Office, took his dog Frecka, a trained accelerant dog, into the home for a closer look.

Detective Clint Smith of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, who’s assisting the State Fire Marshal’s Office, also toured the inside of the home with fire marshals officials.

Anyone with any information about Long and Gresham’s whereabouts, can call the MCSO at 732-9111, or Crime Stoppers at 368-STOP, text a tip to 274637 using keyword 368-STOP or visit www.ocalacrimestoppers.com.

<p>CITRA — A man died Wednesday after sustaining injuries in a house fire, and investigators were looking at the fire and death as possibly suspicious.</p><p>Late Wednesday night, Marion County Sheriff's Office detectives said they believe the vehicle of the man killed in the fire may be in the possession of a man and woman identified as Dillon Gresham, 23, and Crystal Faith Long, 22. Officials think the two, whose relationship to each other is unknown, are together.</p><p>The stolen vehicle is described as a silver 1999 four-door Oldmobile with Florida plate 535XQS, and VIN No. 1G3NB52M3X6305433. The vehicle's rear reflector is missing, officials said.</p><p>If found, the vehicle is considered a potential crime scene, officials said.</p><p>Jessica Greene, spokeswoman for Marion County Fire Rescue, said firefighters pulled the victim from the fire in a double-wide mobile home at 1823 NE 177th Place in Citra late Wednesday afternoon.</p><p>The man, who's believed to be in his 50s, was taken to Ocala Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.</p><p>Crime scene investigators from the Sheriff's Office were dusting for fingerprints on the door knob of a shed near the home, and they had entered the shed and were looking around late Wednesday evening.</p><p>At 3:15 p.m., Marion County Public Safety Communications Center dispatchers received a call reporting a lot of smoke coming from the home. The first of eight MCFR units arrived on scene six minutes later.</p><p>Two teams of firefighters entered the home to search for possible victims. The victim was found unresponsive and removed from the residence. Crew members began assessment and treatment.</p><p>Firefighters were able to put out the fire at the home, which was about 25 to 30 percent involved when they got to the scene at 3:49 p.m.</p><p>Firefighters focused their attention on a back bedroom and the kitchen area of the home, officials said.</p><p>The mobile home had an off-white exterior color with brown roof.</p><p>One person who didn't want to be identified but lived at the residence told a Star-Banner reporter that six people lived in the home, which had five bedrooms and two bathrooms. Of the six people, five of them were men. The man said the lone woman who lived at the home was the girlfriend of one of the men.</p><p>A for-sale sign on the property listed the home as a 1.5-acre property with 10 rooms.</p><p>Authorities said only one person was inside the home at the time of the fire.</p><p>Nearby neighbors told the Star-Banner they did not know anyone who lived there, and the man who owns the home apparently kept to himself.</p><p>Neighbor Laura Schee told the Star-Banner reporter that she was sitting in her recliner when she saw a puff of smoke. She said she was playing with her iPad when she noticed flames coming from the back side of the residence.</p><p>Schee said she told her husband what she saw and they called 911.</p><p>The investigation started out under the jurisdiction of the State Fire Marshal's Office, but it has become a joint investigation involving the Sheriff's Office.</p><p>David Young, a detective and K-9 handler of the State Fire Marshal's Office, took his dog Frecka, a trained accelerant dog, into the home for a closer look.</p><p>Detective Clint Smith of the Marion County Sheriff's Office, who's assisting the State Fire Marshal's Office, also toured the inside of the home with fire marshals officials.</p><p>Anyone with any information about Long and Gresham's whereabouts, can call the MCSO at 732-9111, or Crime Stoppers at 368-STOP, text a tip to 274637 using keyword 368-STOP or visit www.ocalacrimestoppers.com.</p>